"Shawne Merriman got thrown right into it Monday afternoon in his first practice of training camp.

"Full pads the first day being out at practice is tough," said Merriman, who worked the majority of the first-team reps. "But these guys have been out here working for weeks, so I have a lot of work to do."

Merriman, unhappy with his status on the team, signed his one-year tender and reported to camp on Friday.

He said there remains "more than enough time" to get ready for the Sept. 13 opener. Still, while physically fit, he acknowledged he has a lot of work to do to be in football shape.

"Just getting ready for football movement, reacting to the ball, exploding again," he said. "I'm just flying around, trying to get to the ball, tying to calm down my intentions a little bit."

Stuckey returns Rookie strong safety Darrell Stuckey worked team drills for the first time since straining his groin Aug. 4.

While another setback could be detrimental to his short-term development, the ability and acumen Stuckey showed the first two weeks of camp, along with the limited role he will be asked to perform, have the Chargers confident he will recover from the missed time."